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The increased number of young Scots who feel suicidal has been described as a 'blunt wake-up call' (Image: Getty)

“We must face the painful reality that many young people across Scotland and the UK feel so overwhelmed by their problems they have considered taking their own, precious lives.”

The figures are revealed today in the Childline’s Annual Review ‘Not Alone Anymore’ which warns that without appropriate support for young people, many are shouldering their troubles single-handedly and turning to Childline only when they reach crisis point.

But at present Childline only has the resources to be there for three in every four young people that reach out for help.

This could mean some children and teenagers with suicidal thoughts are not getting the support they desperately need when they need it.

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The NSPCC is now calling on members of the public to volunteer as Childline counsellors.

By offering their time they could help a child and even potentially save a life.

Suicide is the third most common reason for girls to contact Childline, and the fifth most common for boys.

Mental health issues, family relationships, and self-harm were among the top three additional concerns mentioned during suicide counselling sessions.

Young people were most likely to be counselled about suicidal thoughts and feelings on Monday evenings, and the majority of children confided to counsellors online via the charity’s 1-2-1 chat service, or by email.

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Volunteers at Childline held 2061 counselling sessions - a nine per cent increase - with actively suicidal young people from across the UK, who had taken initial steps to take their own lives, such as writing a note, giving away meaningful items, or planning their death.

One 14-year-old girl told a counsellor: “I want to end it tonight. I’ve written a suicide note and have everything ready.”

Childline founder and President Esther Rantzen said: “Today’s tragic statistics prove that Childline is more crucial than ever and, for some, literally a lifeline.

“When Childline launched over 30 years ago, I remember children usually felt suicidal because they were being hurt by someone. Now young people tell us they are overwhelmed by mental health issues taking them to the brink of suicide. We must discover why so many of our young people feel so isolated they turn to Childline because they believe no one else cares about them.”

“This young person was in distress and wanted to talk to someone and said, ‘I just want to kill myself.’ I had to try to understand what was going on that they felt so guilty and so heartbroken that they would want to take their own life.

“It was about trying to keep the young person thinking of all those great things they did have. They had friends and their mum, who they were close to.

“We started talking about music and concerts they’d been to and what they would do when they got home.

“We talked about how it was OK for them to not be OK at that point. I could hear how upset they were but at the end, they were laughing with me.

“They said, ‘Thank you for listening to me and being there. I know I’m going to be OK now.’”